By Khalil Gibran Muhammad
As April 15 marks the second anniversary of the Tea Party movement, the burning question on the minds of many Americans is: Will anti-government activists use the ballot or the bullet to achieve their freedom dreams in the 2010 midterm elections?

By Grace Aneiza Ali
On Saturday, January 23, an amazingly talented line-up of Muslim artists performed for a sold-out crowd at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. Hosted by the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN), the event, one of the first of its kind, showcased the rich cultural legacy and growing artistic renaissance among Muslims in the United States and around the world.

By Jackie Jones
While the current recession has forced blacks, along with other Americans, to cut back, previous studies have found that when money gets tight, giving to churches often increases because people hope for blessings in return.

By Rev. Susan Newman
The bible says, “The love of money is the root of evil.” (I Timothy 6:10). The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter, II, better known as “Reverend Ike,” who passed away on July 28, at the age of 74, famously declared that, “The lack of money is the root of all evil. I am not a black preacher. I’m a green preacher. The only color of power in the American economy is green power.”

By Stacey Patton
As the epidemic continues to claim lives, leaving behind millions of orphans, Pope Benedict gave assurances to his audience that the Catholic Church is at the forefront of the battle against AIDS. But practicing safe sex through the distribution of condoms along with educating people how to use them is not part of the Vatican’s strategy.

By Stacey Patton: “Blow on my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat the pleasant fruits.” Those are lines from Song of Solomon, the most exquisitely erotic book of the Old Testament. The Bible doesn’t shy away from topics of romance, love and sex. Indeed, [...]

By Stacey Patton
Do most African-American ministers believe that homosexuality is a sin? Are black churches bastions of homophobia? Does the Bible condemn same-sex liaisons as unnatural and immoral? In this week’s issue of TheDefendersOnline, we asked a diverse group of black clergy from across the country to weigh in on the controversy over same-sex marriage.

By Lee A. Daniels: I went home last Sunday, to Saint Paul A.M.E. Church, in Atlanta, Georgia. I had never been there before. I was visiting Saint Paul for a special occasion. But, from the moment I walked in one of the doors to the church’s lower level that leads to its spacious family life [...]

By Alissa Griffith In 2004, the choice was easy. Moral issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage dominated the political discourse. Then, like many other evangelical black youth, I dubbed myself a “moral conservative” and joined the larger group of evangelicals that carried President Bush into the White House for a second term. Four years [...]